Road Trip

Our first family road trip is approaching.  It’s just me and the boys making our way to my husband’s home town in Indiana.  I am excited because we will be making several stops along the way and seeing some friends, but I am getting nervous.  I think about how the boys will do.  It will be interesting to see my two-year old’s reaction to the new places he will see.  Not sure how my 8 1/2 month old will do.  He is a very laid back baby, so fingers crossed!  

At least I can count on my planning skills as Miss Plan It All, to plan ahead and try to foresee as much as possible.  The most important thing is that the kids remain entertained and as comfortable as possible along the way.  That said, I will be picking out favorite toys, videos, books, games (for toddler) and my newest favorite thing to do in the car with him, flash alphabet letters at him to recite.  We are up to F. 

 I will start researching some of my go to resources for tips on trips and will share.  Stay tuned for the rest of the packing list and updates on how the road is treating us. 

 

 

Time with friends

Lately it seems that I need a long holiday weekend to reconnect with old friends.  I guess it’s because my time is consumed by everyday things that just happen.  My family has first place in my life and everything and everyone else comes after.  That is not say that I don’t think other things or friends are important.  I just have to find a way to manage my time to include spending time with friends, new ones and old ones alike.  I am sure there are many women out there who feel like they could use an extra three or more hours in their day.  I wish I had eight extra hours in my day to help me keep up with my friends!  However, since I know there is no one out there that can grant me that wish, I will just have to manage my time better.  Here are a few things that come to mind that I will try.  I hope my plans help those who read this post or at least they help you find ideas of your own.

I have friends with kids and without.  You would think that doing things with the friends that have kids would be easy because we have that in common.  WRONG!  It is not as easy as I thought it would be.  I used to think I could just put a play date together and that my girlfriends and I would have that time to catch up.  WRONG!  Yes, we have time together but not time to catch up!  Instead, we are playing with the kids and making sure they are playing safely, nicely and sharing.  Don’t get me wrong, I love doing that too, but to truly spend girl time with my mommy friends, I have to put a new plan in place.

Here is my plan for my mommy friends: Start a Girls Night!  Even if it’s after we all put the kids down and let dad watch them.  Even if it’s only for an hour.  Pick a place to meet outside the home.  Staying home or going to someone else’s home defeats the purpose of girls night out.  It does not have to be a place where you have to spend a lot of money.  A bookstore with a cafe can be a good place to catch up or a coffee-house.  If there is a nearby mall with a courtyard, that could work to, or a nearby park where you could bring a picnic or a bottle of wine to serve (drink responsibly).  If you absolutely have to meet in someone’s home, make it fun by adding a theme to the evening or playing a game.

Here’s the plan for my friends who are single and don’t have kids (of course you are counting on dad or a caregiver to watch your kiddies).
Pick a day or night to go out with them and do things that I can’t normally do with the kids in tow.  Like, go to a movie and watch a chick flick, spend the day shopping , lay out by the pool or at the beach, go do dinner and indulge!  It is easy to pick an activity to do with your single girlfriends.  I like to remind them, that I cannot do all the things they still do, like go bar or club hopping (if they are still into that) and that I cannot be their wing woman.  Most of my single girlfriends understand that I am no longer into the “club” or “bar” scene (neither are they for that matter), but that I do like to spend time with them and join them in what they like to do.

What about the out-of-town friends?  If you are like me and you grew up in a different city than where you live now, went to school out-of-state, and then moved to a different city after college.  That leaves you with a lot of great friends in a lot of great places.  How to keep in touch with each one is a challenge.  Thank goodness for Facebook!  This plan is a little bit harder to put together.  Let’s face it, you only have so much vacation time to spend and just because you are on vacation, it does not mean your friend are. My plan is to catch up with these friends by phone or Skype at least once a month.  It may not seem like a lot of time, but it is reasonable for me and that way, I get to talk to them not just read their status updates on FB.  If it just so happens I will be near their side of town at any given time, I will make a plan to meet up with them and their families even if it is just for a couple of hours.  There is nothing like seeing old friends.

Last, I love being a host!  All my friends know that my home is open to them whenever they are on my side of town.  They can count on staying at my place or meeting up somewhere nearby.  Luckily for me I am in Florida which lends itself to be a great vacation getaway for anyone.

A simple closet

I love the look of something neatly organized.  I started with my own home and since my closets are the spaces that I have to see and get into often I got to work on them first.  It’s funny how ALL the closets in my home are full and we are only a family of four.  When I opened my linen closet I was horrified by the disarray that stared back at me.  After all, I offer Organizational Services to my clients!  What if I had a client over one day and they saw this, the horror!!!!!  I got to work immediately.  I started by selecting and buying the type of storage containers I would use.  This meant a shopping trip!  Yet another reason to shop, which is a favorite past time of mine.  I chose simple lined wicker baskets, different sizes to fit different items.  Once purchased and in the house, it was time to get organized.  You can tell by the pictures below that it looked cluttered.  The easiest way to de-clutter an area is by getting rid of things you don’t use.  If it has not been used in a while, you don’t need it.  You can donate your items to a church, the Goodwill, the Salvation Army or a local thrift store.  I gave my unwanted items to my mom, who is trying to condition a new home in another country where they are getting ready to relocate to.  ( I will blog about that another time, stay tuned!)  Once, you de-clutter, you want unfold and refold everything you will be storing so that it all fits properly in your bins.  I like to make sets of everything.  Since this was my linen closet, I coordinated sheet sets by size, towel sets, etc.  Everyone has their own way of finding things in their home.  Therefore, I suggest organizing things in a way where they will be easy to find and easy to put away later.

After completing my closet, I loved looking at it.  I know I was just staring at wicker baskets neatly placed on the shelves, but it was really satisfying to see a space look so neat.  A project like this may take about two hours to complete, but the time you will be saving later is worth it!  If you don’t have the time to invest in a project like this, a professional organizer can complete a task like this and many others.  Most professional organizers like myself are willing to work with any budget and any space.  The key is to have an organized home, which will free up more of your time in the long run.

Tips- Measure your space to make sure you get the right size storage solutions.

Purchase all your storage items of the same type, same color (or pick a color scheme that coordinates) and pair the sizes up.

Clean up the racks you will be putting your brand new storage materials on.

Fit your new storage items according to size to get a uniform look.

You can store big items, like comforters or quilts in a big bag, and store them out of sight.  Mine are to the right of all the baskets, where they can’t be seen!

    

Beach Day

Earlier this week I spent the better part of the morning with my boys at the beach.  We had such a great time.   I had been planning this trip for a while.   Why so much planning, just for the beach?  Because I like to plan everything I can ahead of time to make any trip as comfortable as possible for everyone.    I was also a bit afraid of taking the boys by myself, without my husband who is the most helpful husband in the world (or my world anyway).  Never the less, I was determined on going.  So I took our nanny with me as well. This was also our first trial run.  I wanted to scope out a spot that we can go to from now on that we will all enjoy.   I had them ready to go by 8:30 am.  Dressed, sunscreened and sand toys galore to keep my toddler busy.  I was a bit apprehensive about my six month old, who is not as fond of the outdoors as my toddler.  

Once at the beach, we stopped for breakfast at a beach hotel that has now become a favorite of mine.  Then,  I rented lounge chairs with a canopy to keep my little one in the shade during his first beach outing.  He had a blast watching his older brother play with the sand, the toys and the water.  I am very lucky to have our nanny.  She is amazing with the boys.  I was able to watch after the little one while she chased after my oldest all over the beach.  He had a blast!  Such a beach body already.   He did not want to leave once we were all ready to go.  I practically had to sit on him in his car seat to get him to be still.  That was fun!

Here are a few tips for your next beach outing.  Sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen! Apply it at home before you go.  Touch up when you get there and then apply accordingly throughout the day, this is for the kids and adults too.  Beach toys galore or any plastic toys that you can wash the sand off later.  Towels, at least two per child.  One to throw down on the sand, one to dry them off with later.  Water, keep them and yourself hydrated, I also like to carry an extra bottle of tap water that I can use to quickly wash my hands and the little ones hands if needed.  B/M, formula or milk, in case a feeding time comes around while you are out.  Snacks you can keep in a plastic baggie and toss when there gone.  Swim diapers, regular diapers, extra outfits extra sandals or shoes and plenty of baby wipes.  (wipes work on everything & everyone).  You see that, that’s a lot of things to bring, which is why you should always try to plan ahead!  I am sure I forgot something and you will forget something as well, but just make the best of it. 

Just remember to have fun, let the kids enjoy and don’t let the sand get to you.  It is sticky, it is messy, but it does wash off!

Officially planning it all

I am finally ready to introduce Miss Plan it All to the world!  Well, maybe not the world, but at least to those in the Tampa Bay Area.  I have worked for three years on this venture, and a lot has happened in these past three years.   I have had two beautiful and healthy babies, had my house rebuilt due to “chinese drywall” which had me and my family moving out and back in within three and half months, (that was NOT fun), maintained a full-time job that I love and I’ve met a lot of great people who have helped me in this venture and have given my business the opportunity to grow.  Needless to say, I have been busy, but, I love every minute of my life.     I’ve learned that nothing worth doing is ever easy, and while it has not been easy to put this venture together, it has already been worth it, because I have already helped clients with their needs.

You will see that Miss Plan It All offers many different services.  I created these services because I enjoy doing them and I am a bit neurotic about being organized.  Organization is key in trying to balance life and manage time.  Right now I am very enamoured with my Busy Parent’s Services. As a busy parent, I know what it is like to need a little help sometimes.      

I am also very excited about my blog because I will be able to express my thoughts and hopefully provide readers with helpful tips, ideas and solutions for different situations.  So stay tuned and if there is anything Miss Plan It All can help you with, please ask!